


i return to the scenes of these crimes

by orphan_account



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-10
Updated: 2016-12-10
Packaged: 2018-09-07 17:00:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8808757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Josh sees ghosts.





	

**Author's Note:**

> There are very brief descriptions regarding the deaths of the ghosts that Josh can see that can be triggering to some.

Josh’s alarm goes off at 7:45 in the morning. As he awakes to turn it off the left side of the bed feels empty. He looks over and sees that Tyler has already gotten up. He stares at the ceiling for a few minutes before walking to the bathroom. He opens the door, turns on the light, and ignores the body in the bathtub as he gets ready for the day. He’s been having issues with his bladder and he thinks it’s time he finally goes to a doctor.  He skips the toilet and brushes his hair and teeth instead. The body is still in the bathtub; its wrists bleeding and turning the dirty bathwater red with blood.

He goes to the kitchen and sees that Tyler isn’t even home. He makes his normal breakfast; honey nut cheerios and coffee. Everything tastes bland and he sighs. It’s going to be one of those days.

Back in his room he almost jumps when he walks straight into legs that weren’t there a few minutes go. He looks up at a boy. He’s got blonde hair, is probably around 16, and he’s hanging from the ceiling with a noose around his neck. He has never seen this kid before.

“What the fuck?” Josh asks the boy. “Where the hell did you come from?”

The boy doesn’t answer him and Josh leaves him to get his clothes for the day.

Once he’s dressed he grabs his keys and gets ready to go. The cold winter air hits him in the face as he opens the door. He walks through his apartment complex to the main road. He hates having to walk in this weather but somebody stole his car last week and he has no other choice.

He has his music on the loudest setting, drowning out the sounds of cars as they speed by. He passes a few people running by on their morning exercise. He thinks it will be a peaceful walk until he sees a woman standing in the middle of the sidewalk.

She turns around and suddenly she's running towards him. Josh takes off his headphones.

“Help me!” she screams, “Oh my god, please help me!”

Josh wonders if she can feel the sharp piece of glass in her neck. If she can then it must hurt to scream. Last week on the news there were reports of a deadly car crash. He has seen the woman every day since and it’s starting to get old. He goes past her and continues on with his walk.

As he reaches the local Starbucks he thinks that he’s gonna need another coffee to get through the day. The shop is crowded and the line goes all the way to the door he’s entering in. He’s about to get behind a man in an expensive suit when two girls in yoga clothes cut in front of him, shoving him to the side, and not even turning around to apologize.

“Seriously?” Josh asks but the girls ignore him. Josh looks at the long line again and decides it’s not worth it.

He gets out to the cold air again and calls Tyler. It rings a couple times before he answers.

“Hey,” Tyler says through the phone.

“Hi,” Josh replies, “Where are you? I hope your morning is going better than mine.”

“What happened?” Tyler asks.

“College girls and yoga pants happened.”

Tyler laughs. “What does that even mean?”

“They totally cut in front of me at Starbucks. They didn’t even apologize!”

Tyler laughs again but a little more awkwardly.  “Girls gotta have their coffee, I guess.”

“I guess so,” Josh agrees. “Are you on the way to class? Why’d you leave so early?”

 “Didn’t you get the email? She cancelled again.”

“What?” Josh asks, confused. “I checked this morning. No new emails.”

“Oh,” Tyler tells him, “That’s weird. Well yeah. She cancelled. I’m out running a few errands this morning but do you wanna make it a Nintendo day today?"

“Hell yeah,” Josh replies, turning around and walking back in the direction of their apartment.

“Sweet,” Tyler says, “See you later.”

When Josh gets back to the apartment he goes right to the couch and turns on the TV. He’s hasn’t been home long when he hears moaning coming from the kitchen. He gets up and sees that it’s coming from a man on the kitchen floor. He’s got a knife in his chest and he’s sobbing some girl’s name.

“Please,” the man cries, “Call the police.”

Josh goes back to the couch instead.

Tyler comes home about an hour and a half later. Josh is thankful because the man in the kitchen has been making the most awful sounds the entire time.

“You ready to get your ass kicked?” Tyler says, getting the Nintendo controllers and handing one to Josh.

“You wish,” Josh smirks.

They play through the morning. When Tyler’s stomach starts grumbling they stop to take a break.  “I can go for some Mac and Cheese,” he tells Josh.

“Sounds perfect,” Josh replies.

Tyler goes to the kitchen, not evening noticing the man still moaning on the floor, and gets their lunch ready. Josh looks through the TV channels to find something to watch.

When Tyler returns with two bowls of Mac and Cheese, Josh takes a bite and frowns.

“What’s wrong?” Tyler asks.

Josh shrugs. “It’s just one of those days where nothing tastes good,” he says, putting the bowl on the table. “I don’t think I’m even hungry.”

Tyler looks concerned. “Why don’t you lie down? Maybe a nap will help.”

Josh nods. He does still feel a bit tired.

He opens the door, expecting to see the boy from earlier, but he’s gone. Josh climbs into bed and snuggles underneath the blanket. Lately his bed is the only thing that makes him feel warm. He closes his eyes and drifts off to sleep.

When he awakes again it’s because he’s jerked out of a nightmare and sitting up, trying to control his breathing. He’s been having the same nightmare every time he falls asleep. 

He leaves the bedroom to go cuddle up with Tyler. He finds the apartment empty. There is a notebook on the coffee table and Josh realizes they are Tyler's notes from class. The date Tyler has written is today's date. Didn't he say the class was cancelled?

Tyler’s laptop is also on the coffee table and Josh can see its open to a Google search.

Josh stares at the screen. His stomach feels sick.

He looks in the kitchen. The man from earlier has been replaced with a man who has a gunshot wound in the head. He can see bits of skin and brain on the floor.

He runs back into his room, covers himself with the blanket, and cries.

Eventually he hears Tyler returning and calling out his name.

Josh doesn’t answer. He’s still sobbing under the blanket.

“Josh?” Tyler whispers and Josh can feel him getting into bed next to him. He gets under the blanket too and wraps his arms around Josh’s waist. Tyler’s body feels even warmer than the blanket. Josh never wants to leave his embrace.

“Are you okay?” Tyler asks.

Josh stares ahead at the window as his sobs slowly stop.

“I’ve been having this nightmare,” Josh whispers, “and it’s the same one every time I sleep.”

Tyler is stroking Josh’s arm. “Tell me about it,” he says.

“It’s nighttime and I’m driving home from my History class. It’s about 9:00 and I was on campus since the morning. My eyes feel tired. I took a lot of notes during class because we have an exam coming up. I try to keep my eyes open but I can’t. Suddenly I hear a car honking, and tires squealing, and then a loud crash. Then I find myself awake and gasping for air.”

Tyler is silent.

“It seems so real,” he cries, and Tyler still doesn’t say anything.

The sick feeling in Josh’s stomach returns. He pushes Tyler away from him and gets out of the bed.

“You left your laptop on,” Josh tells him.

Tyler looks at him for a second and then his eyes widen.

“I saw what you were searching for,” Josh says firmly.

“Josh…” Tyler starts to say, and Josh shakes his head because he doesn’t want to hear it.

 ** _What to do if you’re still seeing a loved one after they died_** , the Google search had read.

Josh thinks about the woman he sees every day on the sidewalk. He tries to remember the news report, tries to think if he can remember any info about the other car, but it’s all blank.

“It’s not true,” Josh sobs. “It can’t be true.”

Tyler’s lip is trembling. He gets out of bed and walks towards Josh. “I didn’t want it to be true either,” Tyler admits.

Josh puts his hands over his eyes. When he removes them he can see the boy again; hanging from the ceiling behind Tyler. He can hear the cries in the bathroom and the water running from the bath, he can hear one of the men from the kitchen screaming his girlfriend’s name, and he can hear the other man pull the trigger on the gun that he had held to his head.

Tyler is crying now. “I’m sorry,” he whimpers, “I didn’t want you to go. I love you so much.”

He runs over to Josh and wraps his arms around him. “It’s just getting so hard,” he tells Josh. “I have to act like you’re really gone to all our friends and family but act like you’re still here to you.”

Josh frowns.

“Please don’t leave me,” Tyler whispers. Josh looks at the boy behind Tyler. He closes his eyes and opens them. The boy is still there. He’s not going to leave. None of them are going to leave until Josh accepts it, he realizes. He lets out a cry.

“I think I have to,” Josh wept. He wipes the tears away from Tyler’s eyes and then from his own.

“Have you gone to the cemetery yet?” Josh asks quietly.

Tyler shakes his head no.

“I see people,” Josh tells him, “other dead people. The woman from the car crash is one of them. I see her every day and she yells out to me, she begs me to help her, but I can’t. I can’t because she’s dead. I can’t because I’m dead.”

Josh holds Tyler tight. “I’m dead,” he confirms.

He can hear Tyler let out another sob. He suddenly feels extra warm in his embrace. The sun shines brighter into the window, glowing into their bedroom.

“I love you, Tyler,” Josh says, “Tyler I love you so much and I always will.”

Tyler is crying so hard his eyes are closed. When he opens them again he’s standing in an empty room. All he can hear is the sound of his own sobs and the faint whisper of Josh’s voice.

_“I love you, Tyler.”_

**Author's Note:**

> i don't know why, i don't know why  
> i return to the scenes of these crimes  
> where the hedgerows slowly wind  
> through the ghosts of beverly drive  
> death cab for cutie - the ghosts of beverly drive
> 
> (I own nothing)


End file.
